Does this happen to anyone else…..when you think of summer, you think of slow and lazy days.  You think of all of the things you and your children can do together and all of the memories you can make.  And then the first month of it zooms by like a flash!!  What in the world happened??  Here is a review of June 2018 on Shady Branch Farm!!

Our June has gone by so fast, but my little guy has had tons of fun!  He spent the first week of June with my parents and attended day camp at Bays Mountain Park.  He learned all about nature and wildlife, played in the creek, and zip lined.  When he wasn’t at day camp he swam, went to a movie, and played on the playground.  And he ate Happy Meals!  Lots and lots of Happy Meals!  Aren’t grandparent’s fun??!!

Week 2:

It held 4 half-days of basketball camp.  TJ loves basketball so this was so fun for him!  It gave him a chance to burn off some energy!  The week ended with him staying at my in-laws house while Adam and I, along with 14 of our friends and family, hiked Mt. LeConte.  Mt. LeConte is the tallest mountain on the Tennessee side of the Smokey Mountains.  There are several different trails to the top.  It can be done as a day trip or you can make reservations to stay at the lodge.  My dad has gone and stayed 35+ years in a row! Once at the lodge we are fed the best food ever for supper and breakfast!  Seriously, you are so hungry that even the Tang with breakfast tastes gourmet!  We were also given unlimited lemonade, coffee and hot chocolate.  The cabins are rustic (like no power or running water rustic) but you do have beds and are given a bar of soap to clean up with! It’s really a fun place to explore and we had the most amazing weather!  Both sunset and sunrise were clear and gorgeous!  I hiked a total of 16 miles over the course of two days.  Needless to say, my calf muscles HURT the next few days!!

Week 3:

TJ had more day camp!  This week was flag football camp.  This was a totally new sport for him so he came home the first day a little dejected.  However, by the end of the 4 days he was addicted to passing the football, whenever he could!  I attended training to be a Certified Sandals Specialist in Knoxville one morning.  I love adding to my knowledge so that I can provide great care and service to each of my traveling clients!  TJ also had two teeth pulled this week.  Going to the dentist with TJ is seriously one of the most stressful things ever!  Thankfully, my husband came with us for moral support!  This past weekend we were finally together and home!   We got to spend Saturday evening with friends and taught children’s church on Sunday.

This week has more fun for TJ, some work training for me and then we are hosting our annual 4th of July party this weekend!

June has been full of work and fun, but also I’ve read some great books (reviews coming soon!), eaten a lot of Trader Joe’s Everything But the Bagel seasoning and plantain chips, given up peanut butter and started running.  My little garden has started producing cucumbers in abundance and I made my first batch of refrigerator pickles.  Today I got my first squash!

I’m super excited about July!  It always starts with a bang, but then I am going to be more intentional about slowing down.  I have some big dreams and goals and can’t wait to get started on them!

I’d love to hear from you! How did you dream your summer would go?  Has it turned out that way?  What do you think you could do different in July if June got a little cray??